To Catch A Butterfly You Need A Net

by Gabriele Phillis

  “Seven thousand people live here, ma’am. If I knew all their apartment numbers, I would not sit here believe me. I would make money somewhere else.”

  “It’s very important to me to see him,” I begged.

  “Sorry, all I am doing is opening doors all day long. I don’t really look at the faces.”

  “But you must have seen him! He had a friend with him who did not come inside. They argued outside. Please, try to remember.”

  He shot me an unfriendly look.

  “I haven’t seen anybody arguing,” he said.

  “You must have seen something,” I insisted.

  “I was reading my book.”

  I was close to bursting into tears.

  “I can not help you, sorry.”

  Disappointed, I left the building. I had no chance to find him here, had no clue where to start.

  I followed a complete stranger to his home. That was insane. Under normal circumstances, I would have regretted my actions, but I did not now.

  I looked up at the high rise. He was somewhere behind those window. I could have sworn it was Jules from the way he had looked at me. It was pouring rain now. My jacket was soaked, water running down my back.

  I had no reason to follow him, but believed I was on the right track. Maybe Jules was in Germany although that seemed rather unlikely. This was the closest I had come so far and I would not rest until I found out who the man was who reminded me so much of him.

  I walked back to the city. Who was that other man who was in such a hurry to leave with him? Were things looking up finally for me, or was my pregnancy to blame for my emotional state?

  Chapter 16

  vv

  Allie was in Germany. Kevin could not believe it. His eyes pierced her face when he entered the coffee shop. To see her again after all that time hit him hard. At first, he thought he was imagining things. He would never forget what happened next. It was such a shock for him, a hard kick in the stomach. The moment he noticed her he knew he was in trouble, but it was too late to walk out. Hundreds of thoughts went through his mind. How did she find out where he was? How much did she know?

  Then something strange happened. She walked towards him. This could not be true. Joy changed quickly into panic. Was it really Allie? No doubt, those beautiful brown curls, which fell softly into her face, it had to be her. How many times had he played with it, kissed every part of it? She could be in danger, big danger. He thought about what Woods had said not to get her involved, no matter what. It was too dangerous if she found out. There was only one-way out, to ignore her, but how? What was Allie doing here?

  All of a sudden, he remembered her brother lived in Cologne. Was that the explanation? Maybe she visited him. What a coincidence! He could hardly believe it. It all happened so quickly, no time for anything. The moment he saw Allie he wanted to pull her in his arms and shower her with kisses but before he was aware of the situation, he saw the face of his bodyguard next to him, reminding him of his situation. The danger Allie could face if he followed his feelings could be devastating.

  There was no way he could take her in his arms. Whatever he’d felt for her was in the past and had to stay that way. He could never let her know it was he. She was better off to believe he had left her for another woman, never find him, until it was over. Then he would try to get in contact with her. The Say was watching him, every step he made, waiting for the moment to strike. Kevin’s life had never been more in danger than now; he could not afford to bring her into it. He asked himself repeatedly why she was here. His bodyguard pushed him gently in the side, said something in his ear. They went outside; a car was waiting for him. They drove straight back to his apartment. When they got out Kevin told the bodyguard he was old enough and did not need a babysitter. At the same time he was glad he was there. He had saved him from making a big mistake. When the bodyguard wanted to escort him to his door Kevin pushed him aside, although he knew he was only doing his job, making sure Kevin did not make a mistake.

  “We have to call Agent Woods,” the bodyguard said. “That wasn’t planned.”

  Kevin turned to face him. “I get the message. You can leave now.”

  “Take it easy,” he said. “I am just trying to stop you from doing something you will regret later.”

  Kevin pushed him aside but the bodyguard did not leave until Kevin was inside the building.

  Still stunned by what had happened Kevin took the elevator up to his penthouse, the whole time thinking about Allie, about the disbelief in her eyes when she looked at him. Did she recognize him with the beard and the coloured lenses? She stared back at him just as blankly as he had stared at her. When he entered the penthouse, he walked straight to the mini-bar and poured himself a scotch. He felt the warm liquid running down his throat.

  Everything had just changed. What would happen now? With Allie here, it would complicate everything. If Woods found out, would they send him to another country?

  He knew Allie well enough to know that she would not give up until she found out the truth. How awful she must have felt when he betrayed her. He had told her how much he loved her and then had left suddenly. He never had felt so helpless and guilty in his life.

  Five minutes later Woods called, getting straight to the point. “Your girlfriend showed up. It can complicate things.”

  “You had better come up with something,” Kevin said, angrily. “I am telling you, I don’t want to move again and I definitely do not want Allie to get drawn into this mess.” “I know how you feel, but calm down. I thought about something that might work.”

  “What is that?”

  “If she shows up again, you will have to make her jealous so that she backs off.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She wants to find out now if you were Jules. You have to give her the message that you are someone else, who is married or has a girlfriend.”

  “Sorry, I am a little confused about that part.”

  “That is the only way to get rid of her. She will back off, if you can make her believe that.”

  “No,” Kevin said, shaking his head. “You do not know her. She is not that easy to convince.”

  “Trust me; the FBI has its ways. Think about the

  consequences, Kevin, if she finds out the truth. The killer will do anything, even kill her.”

  “I do not want to make her jealous,” Kevin said. “She has suffered enough.”

  “I know it’s not what you want, but this way we’re protecting her as well.”

  There was silence.

  “I’ll think about it,” Kevin said finally.

  “Talk to Juliet about it. She has played an undercover lover once before. She is good at it, one of the best. Think about it Kevin, but not too long. We don’t have much time.” Juliet was a psychologist and an undercover agent working for FBI. Kevin had never met her personally but spoken to her on the phone a few times when he felt depressed.

  After Woods hung up, Kevin poured himself another scotch and dialed Juliet’s number. He would have a talk to her, see what she thought.

  “Hello, how are you?” she asked in her calm voice. “I haven’t heard from you for a while.”

  He came straight to the point.

  “We have a problem,” Kevin said.

  “Every problem can be solved,” she said. That was typical Juliet. She trained for it.

  “Not this one.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Can you come to my apartment? I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Oh, that’s different. It must be serious.”

  Kevin was not in the mood for jokes.

  “Are you free tomorrow morning?”

  “What time?”

  “Is nine too early?”

  “No, that’s fine with me.”

  He hung up.

  Woods had not mentioned anything about moving again, so Kevin could stay where he was for now. The chance of running into Allie again was huge. Kevi
n had to prepare himself for next time, although he was not sure how he would manage the situation. All he knew was that he wanted Allie to be safe.

  Woods was right. He knew he would not go anywhere from now on without the undercover agent. That was not going to happen. All he could think of was Allie - how lovely she had looked, her skin so glowing, her eyes so longing for it to be him. Oh, Allie, what a mess this is!

  Chapter 17

  vv

  Juliet was definitely not the type of person Kevin had expected.

  “Good morning,” she said. “Sorry, I am five minutes late. I had to drop off my youngest at Kindergarten and got stuck in traffic.”

  She was in her late twenties, tall and blond, with long legs. She looked nothing at all like a psychologist or undercover agent, let alone a mother. She was dressed in a short denim skirt, black tight top and black leather ankle boots. Kevin stared at her.

  “I normally don’t look like this,” she apologized. “Sometimes it comes with the job.”

  When he found his voice he said, “Nice to meet you finally in person. Please, come in.”

  Juliet walked in and placed her denim handbag on the table. She sat down on the lounge and looked around.

  “Nice place,” she said.

  “Thank you. Can I offer you something? Coffee, Tea?” “No, thank you. We do not have much time. So we had better get on with it.”

  “I thought we could talk first.”

  Juliet came straight to the point.

  “Woods filled me in already,” she began, crossing her long legs. “Allie was outside the building when I came in. The bodyguard spotted her this morning and notified Woods straight away. We have no time to talk and have to act now before she does anything stupid.”

  Kevin looked at her as if she were speaking Chinese. “She is watching everybody who comes out of the building. It’s only a matter of time until she sees you.”

  That was not what Kevin expected.

  “I can’t believe it! She really came back?”

  “We’ll take care of the situation. Don’t worry.”

  “How is she?”

  “She is very determined to find out who the mystery man is that she saw yesterday.” Juliet looked at Kevin

  sympathetically. “I really understand how you feel,” she continued in a softer voice, “however I agree with Woods that making her jealous is the only way to make sure she backs off. If our plan works, she will be safe. That’s all that matters, Kevin.”

  “So what do you suggest?” Kevin asked, still adjusting to the fact that Juliet was going to pretend to be his girlfriend. “I don’t know what she will do when she sees us together but my instinct says she’ll back off. Let’s go, Kevin, before she decides to look for you and enters the building.”

  This had all gone far too fast for him.

  “Wait a minute. I have not agreed to anything yet. I don’t really know if I want to do this.”

  “We don’t know if it will work but it’s a worth a try.” He thought for a moment. Did he have any other choice? “You’re probably right. But what happens if she follows us?” “You show me how much in love you are with me.” “It's easier said than done.”

  “Thanks for that.”

  “I was only kidding.”

  “I know. I won’t take it personally,” she grinned.

  “How do you do it? If I were your husband I wouldn’t like it.” “He is used to it. At first, we had our differences but he knows I love him. We have three beautiful children. Nothing is more important to me than my family.”

  Kevin looked into her blue eyes and said, “Let’s do what’s best for Allie.”

  Juliet got up and reached for her handbag.

  “Take a deep breath before we go. This is not going to be easy.”

  He pictured Allie waiting downstairs for him to come out and his heart went out to her. He wished so much not to go through with this.

  “I’ll take my sunglasses just in case,” he said.

  They took the elevator downstairs. This was going to be harder then he thought.

  “You will get through this,” she said.

  Juliet was only helping here. It will work out but the thought that he had to play Juliet’s boyfriend did not quite agree with him. Was there not another way?

  “Put your arm around me when we step outside,” Juliet said. “Make it look like you are in love with me, so that she gets the message.”

  Kevin swallowed, knowing this was not going to be easy. Before the door opened, Juliet gave him an encouraging smile. Then they stepped outside.

  “Ready?”

  Kevin nodded and put his arm around her shoulders. Juliet’s expression suddenly changed. Woods said something to her in her earpiece.

  “Don’t look behind you,” she whispered in Kevin’s ear. “She is waiting in the foyer.”

  The elevator door opened. Kevin tried not to look behind. Allie was only a couple of meters from them. He smelt her perfume, Chanel Number Five. Oh, how much his heart was aching to hold her in his arms! He only had to turn around. “Don’t even think about it.”

  He heard Juliet next to him. She read his mind. They stepped outside. Juliet made sure she was close to him and tucked her arm under his.

  It was a beautiful sunny day, and perfect for lovers, as they made their way towards the Rhein River. They did not speak for a while.

  “Where are we going?” Kevin asked.

  “Let’s go shopping first. I need a new dress,” Juliet said. “That sounds exciting.”

  “It is, believe me.”

  She tried to be as sensitive as she could consider the situation. Kevin felt uncomfortable walking arm in arm down the street with a woman he never met before and only knew as his psychologist. Every other man would give everything to spend a day with her, but it meant nothing to him. She had a mesmerizing body but was to slim for his liking. He preferred more Allie’s feminine curves.

  They walked along the footpath where the cruise ships left to go to the most famous castles. Allie was following them the whole time.

  Juliet communicated with Woods through her earpiece, who updated her about the situation. They had to act as normal as possible. Everything depended on their behaviour. If they made a mistake, that was it.

  “I hope The Say doesn’t know where you are,” Juliet said close to his ear. She blew a kiss to his cheek.

  “That would complicate a lot.”

  “I hope that, too.”

  She tried to make an awkward situation easy. Kevin admitted she did her job perfectly.

  “You’re probably wondering why I am doing this,” she said. “You are exactly right. Why?”

  “I have a lot of reasons. I like the excitement the job brings with it.”

  “Shouldn’t a woman with your looks be a model? A lot of excitement happens there, too.”

  “I was a model and studied psychology before I got married. When I met Paul, I fell pregnant instantly. We have three beautiful girls.”

  “You certainly don’t look like a mother,” Kevin said. “Thank you. Paul is the love of my life. He works for the FBI as well. The hardest part is to be away from my family.” “How do you fit in motherhood and working for the FBI?” Kevin was thankful that she kept him occupied. He wanted to ask Juliet how close Allie was but he didn’t.

  He forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes Juliet raised her head and gave him a slight kiss or cuddled closer to him, all to make it more believable. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on with this. Once they turned a corner, he caught a glimpse of the colour of Allie’s hair. She was only twenty meters behind him and Juliet gave them a sign to be very careful from now on and keep their voices down.

  A few times, she laughed about something, although Kevin did not say anything funny. It was all part of the game. They stopped.

  “Do you know that it is a year since we’ve been together? I like to buy a dress and celebrate it. I love you, Darling.
” She kissed him on his mouth. It felt warm but strange. Kevin, Woods and Juliet hoped the whole time that Allie would turn around, but she was stubborn - no signs of defeat and determined to find out where what was going on. Kevin knew that as soon as they sat down for lunch she would confront him. She was only waiting for the right moment. Kevin pushed his dark glasses more firmly onto his face. “Shall we stop at the beer house and have lunch?” Juliet asked.

  “I don’t care,” he said, “where ever you want.”

  She poked him lightly in his rips with her elbow.

  Nothing was further from his mind than food, not to mention to buy a dress.

  “The boutique is only five minutes from here.”

  “I suppose the FBI pays for it.”

  “Unfortunately they don't. I am not as lucky as you are. Give me your wallet. I’ll pay you back later.”

  Allie changed directions too. The river was far behind them. “She is so determined,” Juliet commented.

  “Yes, she is. This is a totally different side of Allie that I didn’t know.”

  They passed a playground, restaurants, and a park and arrived at the boutique. Juliet pointed at a long halter neck green dress, held at the bust with a silver buckle in the window.

  “I like the colour,” she said. “What do you think?” “You don’t really want my opinion, do you?”

  Kevin did not know if she really liked it or if that was just a part of her act.

  “Let’s go inside. I’ll see if they have my size.”

  “Do I really have to?”

  Juliet gave him a disapproving look. He followed her inside and Juliet bought it without trying it on.

  “How do you know it fits?”

  “I just know,” she smiled, showing her even white teeth. “Besides, wasn’t it in your best interest that I hurry up?” After five minutes, they left the boutique again. Allie was still following them. They went to the Beer House. Would Allie give up soon? Juliet was right behind him and behind Juliet was Allie as they walked inside. What would happen now?